Evangelical Immigration Table Doesn’t “Need to Know the Details” of Reform

on April 18, 2013
(Photo Credit: Tucson Sentinel)
(Photo Credit: Tucson Sentinel)

by Barton Gingerich (@bjgingerich)

Yesterday morning, Christians from many walks of life gathered to the Evangelical Immigration Table to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. Prominent voices of many races, ages, and cultural backgrounds spoke and prayed at the Hill’s historic Lutheran Church of the Reformation. That parish is no stranger to political activism: it hosted meeting for Martin Luther King, Jr. and is now the home of the radical Methodists for Social Action (MFSA). While most of the sponsors and speakers obviously favored looser immigration restrictions, more seasoned voices offered concern for the rule of law, border security, and fair taxes.

“Wouldn’t it just be like God to use immigrants and immigration to bring us together?” inquired Bridgeway Community Church’s David Anderson. “When you are loving your neighbor, you’re doing a good thing,” he added, “But the love of God is strong enough to break all barriers of hate.” It was evident that participants had a high view of their cause. Noel Castellanos of the Christian Community Development Association prayed, “God, we are so glad that we can be a part of such an important moment in the nation and the church…We are so grateful that now your kingdom on earth is becoming as it is in heaven.”

Laurie Beshore, global missions pastor at Mariners Church, observed, “While the Bible does not give us national immigration policy, it provides principles to work from.” She quoted a verse about extending hospitality to sojourners and strangers (without further explanation), warning, “In the United States especially, we see hospitality as offering refreshments.” She thought the term was an all-encompassing way of life. The Templo Calvario’s Rev. Lee de Leon declared, “As a Hispanic in the nation, it’s a wonderful day…God’s working a miracle in the capital. People are crossing the aisle…, and evangelicals are coming together as never before.” “We are to love the stranger,” he urged, “This is only the beginning…The nations of the world are at our door.”

The retiring Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission leader Richard Land offered the most cogent policy arguments: he discussed Romans 13 and the ordained responsibilities of civil government. “We in America are fortunate that we have a highly developed sense of the rule of law,” he proclaimed, “I can count the number of countries with that on my hands.” “The government hasn’t been enforcing its laws on immigration for twenty years,” he complained. Land contended, “We’ve had two signs up at the border: ‘No Trespassing’ and ‘Help Wanted.’” “[Illegal immigrants] have broken the law so they can work, unlike our own homegrown criminals, who break the law so that they don’t have to work,” he instructed. The ERLC president told audience members, “Government is a lagging indicator. It’s a caboose. The people are the locomotive…When the people change, the government changes after them.”

Another notable evangelical figure, Willow Creek Community Church’s Pastor Bill Hybels, also addressed the Immigration Table. He condemned the “never-ending nightmare” for undocumented aliens “of deportation” and “a never-ending limbo” of lacking citizenship. The Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, informed the large crowd, “The time has come…because nothing changes without brave people demanding it.” After praising the social witness of German anti-Hitler pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he announced, “For if our action is not bathed in prayer, it is at rick in becoming unjust action. If we pray without righteous action, we are engaging in vain babbling….No one other than Jesus can give you power.” Salguero also lauded 19th century evangelist Charles Finney, who used to make altar calls for people to get saved and to sign up for the abolitionist movement.

All these presentations granted enthusiasm and gusto to the reform cause in a rather nonpartisan manner. Nevertheless, the legislation briefing by World Relief’s Jenny Yang was more telling. “As evangelicals, we want immigration reform now!” she exclaimed. On the other hand, she confessed, “We don’t know exactly what’s in the reform bill…We don’t need to know the details; you just have to tell your stories.” Showing political naiveté and Social Gospel overtones, she insisted “This really is a historic moment as we meet here today…Elevate the moral voice you bring to the debate.” During the question period, someone asked if the security at the Congressional office buildings check for ID. Evidently, there were several undocumented immigrants who were going to join the crowds as they lobbied on Capitol Hill.

Indeed, activism feels good to enthusiasts, especially when coupled with a sense of moral superiority in one’s advocacy. By quoting Bible verses and making immigration reform a uniting trope for evangelicalism, the Table makes reform an issue of faith rather than prudence (and thus capable of religious enthusiasm). By extension, dissenting church members are implicated as bad Christians. Moreover, loosened immigration reforms are amenable to much of the popular culture at large, unlike life and marriage issues. The unintended consequences of immigration legislation, however, may rain on the parade later on. Regardless, as the old Religious Left can tell you, it feels good to be liked by society for once.

  1. Comment by derryckg on April 18, 2013 at 9:43 am

    “Nevertheless, the legislation briefing by World Relief’s Jenny Yang was more telling. “As evangelicals, we want immigration reform now!” she exclaimed. On the other hand, she confessed, “We don’t know exactly what’s in the reform bill…We don’t need to know the details; you just have to tell your stories.” Showing political naiveté and Social Gospel overtones, she insisted “This really is a historic moment as we meet here today…Elevate the moral voice you bring to the debate.”

    This is about as incoherent and irresponsible as Nancy Pelosi’s celebratory charge to “pass the [healthcare] bill so we can find out what’s in it…” And we are now seeing the disastrous consequences of not reading the particulars of legislation prior to passing them.

    I agree that we need evangelical voices to influence the immigration debate, but those voices need to be serious ones, not caricatured tools to be used by the religious and political Left. Serious evangelical voices will necessarily refrain from making statements similar to Yang’s and will be in positions to defend with common sense, the people that immigration policies affect, not simply the policies themselves.

  2. Comment by Ron Henzel on April 19, 2013 at 3:52 am

    People who break the laws of a country should expect the consequences of that act to be a dream rather than a nightmare? What is Hybels thinking? Does “undocumented” now mean “through no fault of their own whatsoever?”

  3. Comment by Johnny Hutchinson on April 19, 2013 at 7:45 pm

    It is contemptible for this ‘Christian group’ to misuse the (40) Scriptural verses that these advocates utilized to give spiritual imprimatur to a sociopolitical issue for which there is no warrant. They are devious in their hermeneutics as St. Jerome. They are as worldly as those Constantinian bishops.

    The issue is not whether immigration amnesty is good or bad politics. It is the attempt to suggest that either side has the Bible on their side.

    And whatever good opinion that I might have had about Hybels after his latest leadership conference has completely gone out the window. WHAT FOOLS THESE ARE!

  4. Comment by Ben Welliver on April 22, 2013 at 5:59 pm

    Liberalism is the ideology of children, not adults. An adult looks at any proposal and asks “What harm might it do?” Or, as Jesus put it, we should “count the cost” of any undertaking. The lefty is so enamored of his own compassion that he wouldn’t dream of considering the consequences. Good intentions are all that matters, but the adult knows where good intentions lead.

    A loud raspberry to Bill Hybels, formerly one of the great lights in evangelicalism. What happened to you, dude? Did Chicago’s goofball liberalism spill over onto your turf, and why didn’t you resist it?

  5. Comment by Cynthia Curran on April 26, 2013 at 8:41 pm

    Well, they understand the pvoerty issues of the illegal immirgants more than the poverty issues of native born whites, blacks or hispanics that compete for jobs in Construcation or fastfood unlike farmwork or some meat packing natve born will do jobs in low skilled manufactoring or some service jobs or fastfood. Only 10 percent of the population of Mexico comes here illegality about 90 percent live the lower standard of living in their home country. So, people should encouraged the 10 percent to return home by punishing employers that hired them by developing an e-verify system. The native born American is just as important as the foreign born and I’m tired of politicans using immirgation to help buisness interest drive down wages or create higher unemployment for the native born.

  6. Comment by Cynthia Curran on April 26, 2013 at 8:43 pm

    Another notable evangelical figure, Willow Creek Community Church’s Pastor Bill Hybels, also addressed the Immigration Table. He condemned the “never-ending nightmare” for undocumented aliens “of deportation” and “a never-ending limbo” of lacking citizenship. The Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, informed the large crowd, “The time has come…because nothing changes without brave people demanding it.” After praising the social witness of German anti-Hitler pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he announced, “For if our action is not bathed in prayer, it is at rick in becoming unjust action. If we pray without righteous action, we are engaging in vain babbling…. What does Hybels think about blacks or second generation Latinos unable to find jobs because employers hired the immirgants coming here illegality overthem. Blacks in Chicago have a high poverty rate and have to compete against illegal immirgants from Mexico or Central America.

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